Calif. state Sen. Yee withdraws from secretary of state race

Updated 10:35 am, Friday, March 28, 2014

State Sen. Leland Yee makes his way through a large flock of media members to a car after being released on a $500,000 bond March 26, 2014 outside of the Federal Courthouse in San Francisco, Calif. State Sen. Leland Yee was arrested on public corruption charges early Wednesday morning. less

State Sen. Leland Yee makes his way through a large flock of media members to a car after being released on a $500,000 bond March 26, 2014 outside of the Federal Courthouse in San Francisco, Calif. State Sen. ... more

Walking past the Federal building, Paul DeMeester, attorney for California state senator Leland Yee, prepares to announce that his client will drop his race for Secretary of State on Thursday March 27, 2014 in San Francisco, Calif. less

Walking past the Federal building, Paul DeMeester, attorney for California state senator Leland Yee, prepares to announce that his client will drop his race for Secretary of State on Thursday March 27, 2014 in ... more

Photo: Mike Kepka, The Chronicle

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Attorney Paul DeMeester says client Leland Yee is dropping out of the secretary of state's race.

Attorney Paul DeMeester says client Leland Yee is dropping out of the secretary of state's race.

Photo: Mike Kepka, The Chronicle

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State Sen. Leland Yee (D-San Francisco) arrives at his house in the Sunset District after being charged in federal court in San Francisco on Wednesday, March 26, 2014. Yee was one of 26 people charged after a 5-year racketeering, gun running, narcotics, and money laundering investigation by the FBI. less

State Sen. Leland Yee (D-San Francisco) arrives at his house in the Sunset District after being charged in federal court in San Francisco on Wednesday, March 26, 2014. Yee was one of 26 people charged after a ... more

Photo: Mathew Sumner, Special To The Chronicle

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State Senate president pro tempore Darrell Steinberg enters his office for a press conference on Sen. Leland Yee's indictment at the State Capitol in Sacramento, California, March 26, 2014.

State Senate president pro tempore Darrell Steinberg enters his office for a press conference on Sen. Leland Yee's indictment at the State Capitol in Sacramento, California, March 26, 2014.

An FBI agent carries boxes of evidence out of the Ghee Kung Tong Chinese Free Masons Temple in Chinatown during a raid related to Sen. Leland Yee's arrest, San Francisco, CA, Wednesday Mar. 26, 2014.
The FBI raids State Sen. Leland Yee's office in Sacramento and other locations were searched by the FBI in San Francisco. He was reportedly arrested on public corruption charges Wednesday morning amid raids of his office in Sacramento and searches by the FBI in San Francisco. less

An FBI agent carries boxes of evidence out of the Ghee Kung Tong Chinese Free Masons Temple in Chinatown during a raid related to Sen. Leland Yee's arrest, San Francisco, CA, Wednesday Mar. 26, 2014.
The FBI ... more

Photo: Michael Short, The Chronicle

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SFPD and FBI agents stand outside the Ghee Kung Tong Chinese Free Masons Temple in Chinatown that was the target of a raid related to Sen. Leland Yee's arrest, San Francisco, CA, Wednesday Mar. 26, 2014.The FBI raids State Sen. Leland Yee's office in Sacramento and other locations were searched by the FBI in San Francisco. He was reportedly arrested on public corruption charges Wednesday morning amid raids of his office in Sacramento and searches by the FBI in San Francisco. less

FBI investigators load computers and other evidence from the house of state Sen. Leland Yee (D-San Francisco) in San Francisco on Wednesday, March 26, 2014. Yee has been arraigned in federal court on charges of public corruption. less

FBI investigators load computers and other evidence from the house of state Sen. Leland Yee (D-San Francisco) in San Francisco on Wednesday, March 26, 2014. Yee has been arraigned in federal court on charges of ... more

Photo: Mathew Sumner, Special To The Chronicle

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A box of cell phones sit in a van collected as evidence by the FBI from the house of state Sen. Leland Yee (D-San Francisco) in San Francisco on Wednesday, March 26, 2014. Yee has been arraigned in federal court on charges of public corruption. less

A box of cell phones sit in a van collected as evidence by the FBI from the house of state Sen. Leland Yee (D-San Francisco) in San Francisco on Wednesday, March 26, 2014. Yee has been arraigned in federal ... more

Photo: Mathew Sumner, Special To The Chronicle

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An FBI agent wheels boxes of evidence out of Senator Leland Yee's office at the State Capitol in Sacramento, California, March 26, 2014.

An FBI agent wheels boxes of evidence out of Senator Leland Yee's office at the State Capitol in Sacramento, California, March 26, 2014.

Photo: Max Whittaker/Prime, Special To The Chronicle

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2011 mayoral candidate and state senator, Leland Yee, explains his platform to the editorial board of the San Francisco Chronicle in San Francisco, CALIF on Sept. 29, 2011.

2011 mayoral candidate and state senator, Leland Yee, explains his platform to the editorial board of the San Francisco Chronicle in San Francisco, CALIF on Sept. 29, 2011.

Photo: Tim Maloney, The Chronicle

Calif. state Sen. Yee withdraws from secretary of state race

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(03-28) 10:33 PDT SAN FRANCISCO -- State Sen. Leland Yee dropped his candidacy for California secretary of state on Thursday, but made no move to vacate his Senate seat, leaving a tangle of questions about his political future as he faces federal corruption charges.

"This was a very personal decision on the part of the senator," said Paul DeMeester, Yee's attorney, at a news conference outside the federal courthouse in San Francisco. "This is what he wanted to do."

But Democrats and Republicans alike called on Yee to step down. On Thursday, one day after Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg demanded Yee's resignation, Republican Leader Bob Huff introduced a resolution calling on the Senate to vote Friday on suspending Yee.

"We need to act decisively in order to begin restoring the public's trust," said Huff, R-Diamond Bar (Los Angeles County).

U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein on Thursday issued a scathing rebuke, saying, "It has become clear he has lost the confidence of his colleagues, and for the good of his constituents should step down."

Yee, who represents half of San Francisco and most of San Mateo County, was one of 26 people caught up in five-year federal investigation that targeted Raymond "Shrimp Boy" Chow, a Chinatown gangster who had claimed to have gone straight, officials said.

An outspoken critic of violent video games and an advocate of gun control and open government, Yee was charged Wednesday with conspiring to traffic in firearms as well as six counts of scheming to defraud citizens of honest services. He has not commented on the allegations.

Investigators say Yee took bribes in exchange for political favors in order to pay off a $70,000 debt from an unsuccessful run for San Francisco mayor in 2011 and to fund his run for secretary of state. The bribes were paid by undercover agents, the FBI said.

Costly campaign

Yee had raised $800,000 for the secretary of state race and, according to recent campaign finance filings, has spent all but $134,000, which he can use for his legal defense. Despite withdrawing, Yee's name will remain on the ballot for the June 3 primary.

Yee's arrest also clearly energized gun rights groups and state Republican Party leaders. They seized on Yee's election-year scandal as evidence of a "culture of corruption" among Democrats - who control both houses of the Legislature and every statewide office.

Huff said Yee's case outlines "intolerable actions of public corruption: conspiracy to deal illegal shoulder-fired automatic weapons and missiles from international weapons smugglers, and repeatedly engaging in a quid pro quo of performing legislative actions in exchange for large campaign contributions - sometimes in cash."

California Republican Party Vice Chair Harmeet Dhillon, in an interview on KPCC, Southern California Public Radio, took an even more aggressive stance, predicting, "I will not be surprised to see more indictments coming down."

Dhillon conceded she had no direct knowledge of wrongdoing, but she insisted that her party's goal to "keep winning elections" may be aided by Democrats because "we'll just keep getting indictments."

John Burton, chairman of the state Democratic Party, said the attacks from Republicans were predictable. Asked if Yee should resign, he said, "I don't think he's doing the institution or himself any good by staying on."

But he did not appear confident that Yee - who, like Ron Calderon, another state senator facing federal corruption charges, would likely be placed on paid leave as his legal matters are resolved - would resign. "He's pretty stubborn isn't he?" Burton said.

Since Yee represents a legislative district that will cease to exist because of reapportionment in 2010, his seat would likely not be filled if he left office, Burton said.

Longtime political observers say that whatever happens, Yee's political life is over.

Based on the federal complaint, "the mere content of those conversations alone - apart from the political charges - is enough to devastate his political career forever," said former San Francisco Supervisor Michael Yaki, a member of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, who recently ran afoul of the city's strict lobbying rules and agreed to pay $75,000 to settle the case. "You can't walk back discussions about procuring automatic weapons and seamy conversations linking what you do with a campaign contribution."

But some suggest the scandal surrounding Yee - who for years has been surrounded by talk of "pay to play" politics - also sheds light on the segmented political culture of San Francisco.

"It says, from the top down, it's venal," said Quentin Kopp, a retired judge who was a member of both the Board of Supervisors and the state Legislature. "It's morally degrading - and that includes the mayor's office, with the real estate and the development deals."

S.F. scandals

Some cite recent local scandals that have included findings that Port Commissioner Mel Murphy, a friend and golfing companion of Mayor Ed Lee's and a former head of the city's Building Inspection Commission, had failed to follow building codes - and saved nearly $40,000 in permit fees - when renovating his Twin Peaks home.

"There is a culture of corruption in San Francisco that makes people think this is OK," said former Board of Supervisors PresidentAaron Peskin, an adversary of Lee's who has pushed for greater enforcement of the city's ethics rules.

Given Yee's alleged willingness to trade official influence for contributions to retire a $70,000 campaign debt in the mayor's race, one upshot could be a push to expand publicly financing elections, where candidates receive taxpayer matching funds for reaching certain thresholds.

"If there was ever a poster child for public financing of electoral campaigns," Peskin said, "this is it."

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